U.S. to Begin Formal Trade Talks With Taiwan

The Biden administration said on Wednesday that it would begin formal trade negotiations with Taiwan this fall.

Initial talks between the United States and Taiwan were announced in June. The relationship between the United States and China deteriorated after two delegations from the U.S. visited Taiwan this month.

The Chinese government views the island as an incontestable part of its territory and has responded by ramping up military drills and firing missiles into the waters around Taiwan. The United States accused China of using the visits as a pretext to step up operations to intimidate Taiwan and promised to maintain its own military operations in the region.

The U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade will focus on 11 trade areas, including expanding trade in agriculture and digital industries.

The governments said they would fight market distortions caused by state-owned enterprises and non market policies and practices.

The American Institute in Taiwan is the unofficial U.S. embassy in Taiwan and represents Taiwan in Washington.

There is a separate trade negotiation going on with 13 Asian nations. Taiwan has expressed interest in joining the talks, but has not been invited to do so.

An ambitious road map for trade negotiations with Taiwan was defended by the assistant secretary of state.

He said that they would fulfill their commitments under the act. Supporting Taiwan's self-defense and maintaining our own capacity to resist any resort to force would jeopardize Taiwan's security. We will continue to advance our economic and trade relations with Taiwan, as we have done in the past.

Austin Ramzy made a report.